Raynham leaders say they're confident of their slot chances

Sunday

Feb 2, 2014 at 11:28 PMFeb 3, 2014 at 9:20 AM

Marc Larocque Enterprise Staff Writer @Enterprise_Marc

The Raynham Park development group and town leaders in Raynham say they feel confident in the development group's chances of receiving the state's sole slot-specific casino license, which the Massachusetts Gaming Commission plans to award at the end of the month.

Last week, the state's gambling commission said that it expects to publicly announce the recipient of the license by Feb. 28, after the commission holds a series of public meetings and deliberations starting on Feb. 24.

The Raynham Park group said one of their biggest advantages is being the single slot proposal with local ownership, with longtime Raynham dog track owner George Carney as a principal party in the development group.

"I think we are very optimistic given the unique benefits of our proposal," said Conor Yunits, spokesman for the Raynham Park group. "With the Carney family, we are the only proposal with local ownership, which gives us a tremendous advantage. Our location is unbelievable. And the community support from Raynham and surrounding communities is key to our proposal. I think it'll be clear to the commission how much local support we have."

Raynham Park LLC — consisting of Carney and his operating partner, the Pennsylvania casino owner Greenwood Racing — said it plans to invest $227 million into its Parx Raynham Casino on Route 138 in Raynham. The state's single slot license, allowing for 1,250 slot machines but no table games, was created by the 2011 Massachusetts gambling legislation. Raynham Park said it plans to renovate its current facility at the former dog track and build a new 175,000-square-foot facility to house the slots and other attractions.

Raynham Park also boasts having generated the highest vote of approval by its host community during a townwide referendum held last summer on whether to accept a $1.1 million annual host community agreement. With a 21.5 percent turnout, 86.1 percent of Raynham voters approved the deal, which was negotiated by town officials and Raynham Park. Town officials from Raynham and the development group believe the local support will work in their favor.

The other two bidders for the slot license are Penn National Gaming, which has a site at the Plainridge racetrack in Plainville, and Cordish Cos., with a proposed slot parlor site in Leominster. The Leominster proposal received 61 percent approval from town voters, while the Plainville slot proposal was backed by 76 percent of the town's voters.

During the gaming commission's last public hearing on Raynham Park, held Jan. 27 in Raynham as part of the slot license application process, Greenwood Racing CEO Anthony Ricci said that his group's business plan will produce the most results for the state and its economy. The five-person commission is tasked with weighing the economic viability of the proposed projects, the potential development it would create and other factors like site design.

"We feel we have the best application, we'll get the most revenue for the state, we have the best location, the best team, the highest level support in our host community and we're paying the most benefits to the surrounding communities," Ricci said. "I feel we made a great case and clearly in our mind we are the choice."

The Massachusetts gaming regulations state that the slot casino will be taxed at 40 percent of its gross gaming revenue.

In addition to the $1.1 million host community agreement with Raynham, the Raynham Park group also made surrounding community agreements with Easton ($362,500 annually), Bridgewater ($150,000), Middleboro ($50,000), Taunton ($200,000) and West Bridgewater ($250,000).

Yunits, the Raynham Park spokesman, said that, "We have the most generous surrounding community package in total, in terms of contributing to neighbors."

In terms of other benefits the commission may consider, Yunits mentioned that Raynham Park could contribute to the proposed South Coast Rail, with a stop on the state's proposed commuter rail extension.

Yunits said it's also important to consider Raynham Park's pledge to bring horse harness racing to the Brockton Fairgrounds if the developers receive the license. The slot casino proposal would also mean an initial investment of $5 million to $6 million. This part of the proposal has not received the attention it deserves, Yunits said.

Reached on Sunday, Raynham Board of Selectmen Chairman Joseph Pacheco said that, while it's ultimately the commission's decision, Raynham Park is deserving of the slot license. Pacheco said another factor working in Raynham Park's advantage is that it would be able to open up its slot casino the fastest after getting its license, in about six months through a remodeling of the current grandstands at the former Raynham dog track, which lost greyhound racing through a 2008 statewide vote banning the practice.

Raynham Selectman Richard Schiavo said that Raynham Park's roots in the community, as a profitable and job-providing dog track for about 70 years, should also work to its advantage as the gaming commission considers the applicants.

"The Raynham dog track itself has been good for the town and surrounding communities for decades," Schiavo said. "A new casino license would represent a major revitalization of that business. A lot of people see that as a natural progression from where they were."